Representatives from supporter-owned football clubs Portsmouth, AFC Wimbledon and Wrexham will sit on a new government group seeking to find ways to break down barriers to increased fan involvement in how clubs are run. The Guardian revealed in June that the sports minister, Helen Grant, planned an “expert group” featuring representatives from fan organisations, the Football Association, the Premier League, the Football League and Supporters Direct to look at ways to reduce the practical barriers to supporter ownership.
The make up of the panel will be unveiled by Grant on Tuesday on a visit to Portsmouth Football Club, now wholly owned by supporters after being driven to the brink of extinction by over-spending and mismanagement.
It comes days after Labour unveiled a manifesto commitment to force clubs to allow at least two representatives of a supporters’ trust onto their board and give fans the right to buy up to 10% of shares in the event of a change of control.
But already there is understood to be disquiet among supporters’ trusts at some Premier League clubs that they don’t have a direct representative on the new expert panel, which will meet for the first time next month and report directly to Grant.
The fact that it has taken so long to finally begin examining practical measures is also likely to come in for some criticism. The original coalition agreement in 2010 promised such a move and 18 months ago the culture, media and support select committee also encouraged greater fan involvement.
The Supporter Ownership and Engagement Expert Group will be chaired by Joanna Manning-Cooper, who is a member of the Portsmouth Supporters Trust and currently director of marketing and communications for Rugby World Cup 2015.
“Football fans are the lifeblood of the club they support. Owners, executives and managers may come and go but it is the fans that are the constant, loyally following their clubs through thick and thin,” said Grant.
“We want to see what more we can do to give fans a stronger voice in how their club is run as well as looking at ways in which we can help remove some of the barriers to supporter ownership.”
Supporters Direct, the organisation funded by the Premier League that helps fans take a stake in their clubs, said it was “very gratifying” to see the government taking action. The panel will also include legal, tax, financial and regulatory experts.
“We’re immensely pleased at the cooperation that we’ve seen across the game, and between government departments, and we’re grateful to the minister for making this happen,” said Supporters Direct’s chief executive, Robin Osterley.
“This is something that can directly and tangibly benefit supporters’ trusts, and we look forward to making swift progress on the issues.”
